Bradley Cooper wanted Jack White to play the lead in ‘A Star Is Born’

Bradley Cooper initially approached White Stripes frontman about playing the lead role in his directional debut A Star Is Born.

White, who previously took his talents to the big screen when he played Elvis Presley in musical parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, was forced to turn down Cooper’s approach because of scheduling.

“Seasoned musician Jackson Maine discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jackson coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.”

The film, which stars himself and Lady Gaga, marks the directorial debut of four-time Oscar nominee Cooper and was given its out-of-competition world premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. Its success has been unparalleled and is expected to be heavily involved in the upcoming awards season. However, Cooper revealed in an interview with Variety that he had initially eyed up another person for the lead: “I saw this other person that I wanted to do this, who is an actual musician,” he said before adding: “But [the studio] wouldn’t make the movie with him.”

A source close to the publication also revealed that it was, in fact, White who was Cooper’s first choice. However, despite the scheduling conflict, the decision to move for the White Stripes man was vetoed by production executives.

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